Genetically Engineered Organisms Brochure
Due: November 24th by 5:00pm
Answer the questions below using the following websites (additional research may be
required).
o Environment and Nature News. (n.d.) Toxin-munching plants a step
closer. Retrieved March 15, 2006 from
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_921973.
htm
o United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.) Using superplants to clean
up our environment. Retrieved March 15, 2006 from
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jun00/form0600.htm
1. How does phyto-engineering or phytoremediation harvest heavy metals from
soil?
The plants absorb contaminants through the root system and store them in the
root biomass and brings them up into the stems or leaves. A living plant may
continue to absorb contaminants until it is harvested.
2. What is meant by phytoextraction? What is an added benefit of this process?
Plants extract contaminets from soil and eventually makes it safe for other plants
to grow their.
3. What are some environmental problems caused by heavy metals?
Heavy metals leak of contamints like rust and prevent plants from growing.
4. What human activities have resulted in the collection of heavy metals in soil?
Mining has severly screwed up the envirment around them.
5. What are some global impacts of these environmental problems?
It is reducing the amount of plantable land.
6. What are some of the current high tech solutions to the environmental problems
you stated?
Growing plants in space and making more efficient plants.
7. What are the human impacts associated with phyto-engineering and how do
those human impacts relate to biotechnical engineering? humans plant certain
plants the absorb the contamination and remove it
Answer the questions below using the following websites (additional research may be
required).

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/110405-nsf-oilsomasundaran-video/

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/08/study-oil-eatingmicrobes-plentiful-in-gulf-oil-spill.html
1. What is bioremediation and what role do engineers play in the process of
bioremediation?
It is the study of removing contaminants from soil using certain bacteria.
Engineers decide which plant would work the best in each contaminants.
2. Explain how the following engineers work together during the bioremediation
process: chemical engineers, environmental engineers, genetic engineers, and
civil engineers.
Chemical engineers find out what kind of contamination it is.
Envirmental engineers figure out how the contaminents affect the area
Genetic engineers would find out what plant could absord which contaminant.
Civil engineers desighn the tooling used to collect soil
3. What impact does bioremediation play on the environment and society as a
whole?
Bioremediation make soil cleaner and better for farming and planting.
Answer the questions below using the following websites (additional research may be
required).

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml
1. What is genetically modified/engineered food?
A food that has altered genetically to make it more reiliant or better shelf life.
2. What are some potential benefits to these types of foods?
They make food easier to grow, more flavorfull, and stay fresher longer.
3. What are some potential concerns to these types of foods?
Maybe contaminated or harmfull to eater or land.
4. What are some medical ideas researchers have for these foods?
They are currently thinking of making a gene in the food for vaccines.
Using the information you have collected design a brochure to display the information to
any common individual. This brochure is best created using the brochure template in
Microsoft Publisher. Your brochure should include the following:
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_____ Information on phytoremediation (15 pts)
_____ Information on bioremediation (15 pts)
_____ Information on GMOs (15 pts)
_____ Information on a GMO you will create (15 pts)
o Get creative here and include design, potential uses, and benefits of
your product
_____ Pictures that help to explain your information(10 pts)
_____ Creativity and aesthetics (10 pts)
_____ All questions from above answered and posted on weebly (20 pts)
*** This is due by 5:00pm on November 24th (that
is the Sunday before we return to school).***